


Beyblade Burst Arc-V

by IdolGirl



Series: Beyblade Burst Arc-V Universe [1]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V, ベイブレードバースト | Beyblade Burst (Anime)
Genre: AU, Action, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Blood and Injury, Dimension Travel, Fluff but no relationship, OC, OOC characters, Villain OC - Freeform, tournament
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-28
Updated: 2020-06-16
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:49:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 18,495
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24424537
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IdolGirl/pseuds/IdolGirl
Summary: Yuya got sucked into a crack in the sky, as crazy as it sounds, and now he has to try to survive in a world drastically different than his own. Dueling doesn't exist? What's a Beyblade? How did he get here? And WHY is there a creepy maniac who keeps hurting his friends?(Rewrite of Beyblade Burst Arc-V on fanfiction.net. Crossposted onto fanfiction.net)
Series: Beyblade Burst Arc-V Universe [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1763809
Comments: 6
Kudos: 17





	1. A Crack in the Sky

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys, Idol here! So I originally started this two years ago on fanfiction.net but I felt like it was in dire need of a rewrite. I already have six chapters completed so I'll be mass-posting them here. If you want to read the original, it's on fanfiction.net under my username IdolGirlGold, but I'm not posting it here. Anyway, please tell me what you think of the story!

**Prologue**

A boy with tomato-like hair wiped some sweat off his chin as he scanned his surroundings. There was lava everywhere, but that's what you would expect from the Volcano Section of the giant Action Field that had encompassed the city.

You see, Yuya was competing in the Junior Youth Maiami City Championships, and for the semifinals, the Leo Corp. had turned Maiami City into a giant Action Field. The Field had four sections: the Volcano Section, the Glacier Section, the Ruins Section, and the Jungle section. Yuya was currently in the Volcano section searching for the pendulum cards that were scattered around the city. Once you had two Pendulum cards, you could duel with others.

You wouldn't guess it at first, but Yuya was the inventor of Pendulum cards. In a match against Strong Ishijima, the opponent from whom Yuya's father had "fled," Yuya was about to lose, but before he knew it, he had won. Apparently, he had invented pendulum summoning during that time, but to his surprise, he didn't remember a thing!

Oh well.

Yuya shook himself out of the memory and started running again, in search for his second pendulum card, when suddenly there was a huge rumble.

And when I say a huge rumble, I mean a HUGE rumble.

Yuya nearly fell in a puddle of lava in surprise, but even after a few seconds, the ground just kept shaking. If anything, it got harder. _What is this, an earthquake?_ Yuya thought as he gripped onto the rock next to him.

And just as suddenly as it came, the shaking stopped.

Yuya looked up in surprise, only to see the most horrifying sight of his life.

There was a crack in the sky.

There was a _crack_ in the fricking _sky_ , and Yuya knew for a fact that Chicken Little didn't exist.

The crack got longer and started glowing golden. The crack suddenly parted in the middle, creating a small hole that kept getting wider and wider. Through the hole was a vantablack vacuum.

That's when Yuya realized with a start that he was floating.

He jerked and tried pulling himself down, but he was rising at a rapid rate, the ground beneath him shrinking fast. To his horror, when he looked up, he saw that he was getting closer to the hole in the sky.

He looked around and saw Yuzu floating up as well. Yuya's eyes widened and he tried to "swim" across the air to get to his pink-haired friend, but to no avail. Yuzu had also spotted the tomato-haired boy and couldn't move towards him. And they were moving upwards so fast it hurt to breathe, let alone talk.

_Is this Reiji's doing?_

_No...this is too drastic for that!_

_But why are Yuzu and I the only ones affected?_

These were Yuya's last thoughts before the pure, soulless black finally met him.

* * *

**Chapter 1**

"Excuse me? Helloooo?"

"GAAH!" I woke up hearing a childish voice yell into my ear. I looked around frantically, looking for the source until my eyes landed on a kid next to me.

He was really short for a fifth-grader (I can tell a person's grade from their eyes, I don't know how myself, but this guy was tricky) and he had spiky blue hair held up by a headband. His eyes were big and chocolate brown and he wore regular sports attire. He stood up and stretched a hand, grinning widely. "Need some help?"

"Uh, yeah, that would be great." I accepted the hand and allowed myself to be pulled to his feet. But as soon as I got to his feet, I stumbled again. _What the...my body feels different. Lighter. Like I don't have as much mass…_

_Wait._

"Uh, how tall are you?" I asked.

His eyes widened by a fraction and I immediately realized what I said my face flushing red. "No! That's not what I meant-I-"

"If you have to know, 130 centimeters…" He mumbled while looking the other way.

I barely held back a gasp (and stifled a laugh, I mean, this guy is _short_ ) as I realized that I was only a few inches taller than he was. Back home I was 158 centimeters tall, but I was evidently not now.

How does one lose mass?

How does getting sucked in a black hole make you shorter?

How am I even _alive?_

"Uh, excuse me?"

"What?" I looked at the blue-haired kid and realized I must have looked really weird. "Sorry, I must have spaced out."

"Yeah, you sure did," He laughed. I chuckled along as well. "So, I never got your name."

"Ah!" I remembered that we had forgotten a very important part of introducing ourselves. "The name's Yuya Sakaki."

"Yuya, huh? I'm Valt Aoi! Let's be friends!" He shot me a blinding grin and held out a hand, which I shook. "My mom's bakery is right around the corner! Wanna come over?"

"Sure, I guess." With that, we started walking to his family bakery. But one thing struck me as odd- he didn't know who I was. I thought nearly everyone knew my name because of my father disappearing (and no I'm not trying to be cocky cuz it's just the truth) and it was getting pretty annoying. But Valt didn't. I get sucked into a black hole after an earthquake, the sky cracks, I get shorter, and I'm apparently unknown. Well, just because one person doesn't know me doesn't mean that nobody does, but it's pretty safe to assume so.

_What the actual frick is going on?_

"We're here!" I snapped back into the present as Valt announced our entrance. We took off our shoes and entered the big bakery, Valt shouting "I'm home!"

"Welcome back Valt! We're in the kitchen!" A female, motherly voice called out. Valt smiled and led me to the said room.

The kitchen was _huge_.

Like, our kitchen doesn't begin to compare. I walked in and looked around in awe because our kitchen was tiny compared to this.

Maybe I'm exaggerating a bit, but the only time I went to a bakery was when I went to get something for Yuzu after she got me a gift. She only got me a gift because I had been beaten up again, but I got her a few cookies anyway.

_...wait._

I froze suddenly, making Valt look at me with a confused expression.

_Yuzu._

She had been pulled into the black hole with me. She could be hurt, or worse-

How could I have been so callous!?

I turned the opposite way suddenly, startling Valt and making him yelp, and I bolted out of the bakery. I didn't have time to chat; Yuzu was missing and something could have happened!

But just my luck, as I ran out the door, I slammed into someone. Hard.

We both fell backward, landing on our butts and groaning. Valt was close at my heels yelling in surprise. I shook the dizziness out of my head, stood up, and helped the person I bumped into up as well.

He was a little taller than me, but it could have just been his hair. His hair was pretty long, going to his shoulders, and was a milky white. It was kinda messy but neat at the same time. His skin was pale and his eyes were the same color as mine- that is, blood-red. He wore a pink shirt under a black short-sleeve jacket with black slacks underneath.

He accepted the hand I stretched out to him and got up, rubbing his head. I quickly bowed to him once he was up. "I'm so sorry about that! I should really be going-"

"WAIT!" My face kissed the floor _again_ after a certain blue midget tackled me to the ground. Man, he was _heavy!_ "You can't just leave; you just got here!"

"Uh, Valt, who is this again?" The other guy, who was evidently puzzled, pulled Valt off me to let me breathe. I stood up again once Valt had calmed down a bit.

This could be a chance to test out my theory.

"My name is Yuya Sakaki. I take it you've heard of me?" I asked the other male, who looked more lost now.

"...No," He said after a beat of silence. "But I'm Shu Kurenai. I take it you've heard of _me?_ "

"Nope, I just got here." I smiled.

There were suddenly two loud gasps from the corner of the room. I looked behind me to see two kids, a boy, and a girl, staring at me like I was an alien. They looked a lot like Valt, except they were way shorter, and the boy had teal hair with a cap on while the girl had pink hair in pigtails. They each had a tiny fang protruding from their mouth.

"You've never heard of Shu Kurenai? One of the Four Spin Emperors? The legendary Blader who was a finalist in last year's Nationals?" The girl said slowly.

"It's equally surprising you haven't heard of me," I countered. "I created a new summoning method and I'm known as the son of a failed entertainer whom everybody knew. I made it to the Junior Youth Championships and I was in the middle of a Duel when I-" I shut up instantly, realizing I had let out too much information. "Never mind."

"No, finish what you're saying!" Valt whined.

"Valt, if he doesn't want to say it, he doesn't have to," Shu's soothing voice got through to Valt, who decided to pout at me instead of making me say what I was going to.

Internally, I breathed a sigh of relief.

"What's a summoning method?" The short boy spoke up. "And a Duelist?"

"Huh?" I blinked. "Do you not play Duel Monsters?"

"What's Duel Monsters?" They asked simultaneously.

I took a few seconds to process that. Nobody knew I existed because Duel Monsters didn't exist. But I still remembered everything, so maybe-

"Hold on…" I knew I had my deck in a deckholder on the side of my pants- but it was empty. "NANI?"

"Something the matter?" Shu questioned, looking more lost than ever.

"Yeah, I can't find my deck…" I checked the other deck box, and there was something there. Not my deck, but what looked like...a top? It was split into three sections. The top looked a LOT like the face of my ace Monster Odd-Eyes, with the heterochromatic eyes at the center and the horns protruding slightly from the jagged edge of the top. The outer edge was all scales and the inner was a lot of intricate designs. There was a metal part under this top part, and below that, the fulcrum of the top, which was rounded.

Valt's eyes lit up as I brought it to the light, watching the top glint. "You have a Bey! So you're a Blader!"

"...Bey? Blader?" Were those terms related to the top in my hand? He called the top a Bey. What's a Bey?

As in response, the Bey started to glow faintly, shining red. The red light spread from the Bey to my arm and coursed over my whole body before I knew what was happening.

Suddenly I wasn't in the bakery anymore. Valt and Shu had disappeared. I was floating somewhere that was colored in pastel colors. There was nothing- no ground, no sky, nothing. But there were colors all around me, mixing and separating. I had the feeling something was wrong, but I couldn't place my finger on it.

There were little orbs of light floating around me. I tried touching one but it moved away quickly. I tried to follow it, trying to swim midair because I was suspended in the air, but I couldn't move forward. Frustrated, I righted myself, and looked around me again for an escape.

No sign of one.

Suddenly, _burning agony._

I gasped and clutched my heart, which was the epicenter of the pain. If anything, it got worse. The pain coursed through my blood like fire, clogging my lungs and making it hard to breathe. My breaths were coming out in short gasps as I tried to hold the pain down. But my efforts were in vain as it just didn't stop.

I silently screamed as the pain got the better of me. No matter how loud I thought I was, no sound reached my ears.

My vision started darkening as the pain took hold. But before I blacked out, a familiar voice called out to me, though I had never heard it before.

_Yuya…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave a comment!


	2. Going to Shu's House

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuya wakes up at the Aoi house, eats dinner there, goes to the Kurenai house, and has a second dinner because Shu's pasta is just that good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I accidentally made him have two dinners and I just noticed now. But Shu's pasta is amazing, so we'll assume that Yuya was just that hungry.

I woke up to a throbbing pain in my temple. Blearily opening my eyes, I sat up while rubbing my temples and groaning. I looked around myself when I could see clearly. I was in a living room, walls painted yellow. The sofas were light blue. There was a doorway leading somewhere and the smell of freshly baked bread filled my nostrils. I took a deep breath, inhaling the sweet scent, and then I stood up.

Just as I did, the two little kids from earlier dashed in the room. The girl gasped when she saw me standing upright. "You're awake!"

I chuckled. "Yeah, I am. What happened to me anyway?"

The boy scratched his head. "I honestly don't know myself. You were looking at your Bey like you've never seen a Bey before, and then you just fell. Oh!" His eyes lit up in realization. "You don't even know our names! I'm Tokonatsu, and she's Nika."

"Nice to meet you, I'm Yuya Sakaki," I introduced myself to the two kids. They smiled back at me. Were they Valt's little siblings? He was lucky to have siblings as nice as them.

A familiar boy entered the room just them. I recognized him as Shu Kurenai. He looked at me in surprise. "Oh, Sakaki-san, you're awake! I just came to call Tokonatsu and Nika to dinner. Are you alright?"

"Never better," I grinned at him.

"Great. Valt's in the kitchen; we can talk there." He walked out of the room with all three of us following behind.

I must say, Aoi-san is an amazing cook. She cooked us pasta with bread, which was scrumptious. Then she brought out a basket of bread that was shaped a lot like the spinning top that fascinated me earlier. That made me remember what I wanted to ask the two boys sitting next to me.

"So, Valt," I took some of the 'Beybread' as he had called it as I addressed the boy. "What's a Bey?"

"YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT BEYBLADE IS!?"

"Calm down!" Shu shouted at the screaming midget, covering his ears. I did the same; who knew someone so small would have such a big voice?

I brought out the Bey again from my deck box (someone must have put it back; I don't remember putting it back there) and I looked at it. The Bey glinted at me, but the sensation was nowhere near what I had experienced last time. "I've never seen it before. What is it?"

Shu, ever the sensible one, answered my question. "A Bey is a spinning top used in the sport called Beyblade. The wielders of these are called Bladers. You put the Bey into a Launcher and pull the ripcord to launch it. Your Bey battles against other Beys and the last one left standing is the winner. There's a lot more to it, but that's the basics." He took a bite of his Beybread.

Valt excitedly pointed to Shu. "Shu's one of the best Bladers in Japan!"

"That's cool," I nodded at the albino, who smiled in return. "So it's popular?"

"Yeah, it's like the most popular sport EVER!" Tokonatsu informed me excitedly.

"What school do you go to?" Valt's eyes shone in excitement; for what he was excited for I couldn't place my finger on.

But that aside; I didn't know any schools in this area, and it was obvious that the You Show Duel School didn't exist in this 'dimension'. "Uh...I don't know?"

Shu's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean, you don't know?"

"Uhh...I travel a lot?" It came out sounding like more of a question.

Shu looked like he wasn't buying it, unlike the others in the room (except Aoi-san; she was somewhere) but he let the matter drop for now. I was internally grateful to him.

But then he had to bring up another matter of concern: "So, if you're traveling a lot, where do you live?"

Valt's eyes widened. "That's right! I found you sleeping on the side of the road!"

"Gah-" I tried to stop Valt from saying that, but I failed. I sighed and slumped in my seat. "...I just got here so I don't have a place to stay…"

"That's not a problem, you can stay with me."

My eyes shot open at that statement. Shu was completely serious. "Well, I know for a fact that the only space Valt has is a small corner in his room. I have a guest room you could use. How long are you going to be here?"

"I'm gonna stay awhile," I answered in between chewing (Beybread tastes amazing!)

Shu nodded. "Alright, it's settled then."

"Wait," Nika spoke up. "If Yuya has a Bey, what's its name?"

"Oh yeah!" Valt looked like a light had been flipped in his brain. "You never told me!"

"Bro, I don't even know what a Bey is!" I laughed.

Shu chuckled along, then addressed me seriously again. "I'm sure you'll be able to figure it out if you just think about it. Try it."

"Think about it?" I mused, thinking of what would fit my Bey. I didn't think it was an Entermate; it didn't give off that kind of vibe. I use Entermate monsters when I duel, but the aura I felt was definitely not Entermate. It was similar, though.

I brought out the Bey and gazed at it. It glinted at me again. Suddenly, I realized where I knew the aura from.

It must have shown on my face because Shu noticed and prompted me again.

"Odd-Eyes…"

"Say that again?" Valt asked, since I had basically whispered that.

"It says its name is Ocular Odd-Eyes," I said with more conviction. I knew it had told me its name from the soft growl I heard in the back of my head. I could understand it for some reason. Was that normal?

Was any of this normal?

No, I decided.

Shu groaned when I said that and put his head in his hands. Valt jumped up, laughing. "See? I told you! Beys DO talk!"

"Only you, Valt. Only you." Shu mumbled, making Tokonatsu and Nika cheer in agreement. I had to grin as well when I saw Valt's shocked face.

"B-But I saw you talking to Spriggan when you were training!" Valt pointed his finger at Sh u.

Said albino male shot his head up instantly. "Valt, you must have heard wrong. Why were you stalking me anyway?" He tried to sound serious, but I cracked up when I noticed how pink his face was. He shot me a glare, but Tokonatsu and Nika were laughing with me, as was Valt, so he just huffed in annoyance.

If anything, we laughed harder.

"Ahh…" I sunk into the leather couch. Shu's house was really clean, but it was so white and bland. Luckily the sofas were amazing. "This is life…"

"We have to go to bed soon, Yuya," Shu entered the living room with an apron on. "Dinner will be ready in a few."

"Huh?" I looked at Shu in surprise. "Where's your parents?"

Shu flinched a bit, but it wasn't that noticeable. "Like you're one to talk."

"Yeah," I chuckled. "Need any help?"

"I could do it by myself, but you're welcome to help me," Shu gestured behind him, where the kitchen was. I could already smell something delicious from there, so I got up and followed him over.

The kitchen was about the size of my kitchen back home, but a lot more organized. Mom usually left out everything while she was working and if you entered the kitchen, you'd be really surprised. There would be animal food everywhere because she LOVED taking in random stray animals. Once I accidentally ate a dog treat meant for one of my dogs, En!

I absentmindedly chopped the vegetables, wondering what my mom was doing right now. She probably saw what happened; she was at the stadium after all. I was most likely disqualified from the Battle Royale; I wondered how many of my friends made it through. Hopefully, Gongenzaka and Sora were fine, but last time I saw Sora, he went berserk on this Xyz user, Shun. It was really scary to see the usually sweet, bubbly Sora turn into a monster-hunting menace. His Fusion monster was horrifying as well. Shun was a creepy person, but Sora became terrifying that day, and he collapsed right after beating Shun too! His Fusion monster was horrifying as well.

Thinking about my friends made me remember something else that had happened; though I tried to put it to the back of my head earlier. The day Sora escaped from the hospital and we all went searching for him, I went to the park and I saw these two guys. They both had the same face as me!

One was called Yuto and the other was called Yugo. Yuto kept calling Yugo a Pawn of Fusion, whatever that meant, and they were dueling. From what I had gathered, someone had kidnapped their best friends, and that person had the same face as us too, so they mistook each other for the kidnapper. So they were Dueling when suddenly their eyes started glowing. They looked like they were in pain and they started going berserk.

I knew I had to calm them down, but I could only really get through to Yuto because Yugo was riding around the place on a motorcycle. But by then it was too late, and Yugo delivered the finishing attack. Yuto was supposed to lose, but the attack swerved to hit me instead. I would have been mincemeat-but Yuto saved me. Then, as I tried to save him since he was pretty seriously hurt, he gave me his ace monster, Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon. Then he faded into white light.

I remember pain right after; blinding, searing pain similar to what happened to me the first time I looked at my Bey, Odd-Eyes. The next thing I knew, I was in my bedroom. Yuzu had apparently found me and brought me home, where I was in a coma for a week. I nearly missed one of my tournament matches!

I still remember how worried Yuzu was and how shaken she seemed when I showed up feeling fine. She, and the rest of my friends, had been extremely concerned when I didn't wake up for so long.

How are they holding up now?

This time is worse than back then; they have no idea where I could be or what happened to me. Are they worried sick? I hope they're doing fine because I don't see any way out of this dimension.

But Yuzu was dragged here with me. I overreacted a bit when I first realized that she was here too, but even so, I needed to go find her soon. But there would be almost no time for that since I knew that Shu was going to find a way to get me enrolled in school. Then I would have to get better at Blading since that was basically the Dueling of this world. Doing all that, I might not even have time to scour the city, let alone search for Yuzu!

"Hey, look out-YUYA!" Shu's sudden screaming brought me back to reality. I looked down to where I was chopping vegetables, only to see a lot of uneven slices and a puddle of blood under my hand. I flung my hand away from the chopping board, only spreading the blood in the process. Shu told me to stay still while he retrieved the first aid kit.

"Sit down," Shu ordered, pointing at the dining table. I obliged; I mean, nobody wants to see an angry Shu. He held my hand tenderly while he sprayed something on the wound to disinfect it.

I hate first aid. I've always hated it. So I pulled back on reflex once I registered the sting of the antibacterial. The worst part was that I had a cut across my entire palm that was bleeding like crazy, so it hurt even more. But when I pulled back, Shu glared at me, so I complied and gave him my hand again. He wiped away the blood and bandaged my hand securely. "There, all done. Be more careful next time." I nodded in response.

Shu sighed. "You know what, the pasta will be ready any minute. Just relax for a bit." He went into the kitchen while I sat at the table.

The good thing about his kitchen is that the dining table is connected to it, only separated by a wall half the size of us, so while Shu prepared dinner, we could still chat. As such, I brought up a question that was bugging me. "How long have you lived alone, Shu?"

Shu flinched a bit, though again, it wasn't noticeable, and hummed as he thought about it. "Since I was nine, I guess." He answered. "My parents were always busy, but when I was nine, they got promotions, which they accepted. Their new jobs required them to go overseas, so they went on a cruise ship to America. That was the last time I saw them. Of course, they taught me how to fend for myself before I left."

"I see…" I felt bad for Shu. He was only eleven and he already had to live by himself, without support from his parents.

"What about you?"

"Eh?"

"Where are your parents?"

I swear my heart stopped beating for a second when he said that. But it wasn't like I could come up with a lie on the spot! I didn't mind telling him about my mom, but if he found out about my father...he didn't seem like the type, but you never knew.

"Something the matter? He looked at me with a puzzled expression when I failed to answer quickly. He had finished the pasta by then and had brought it over to the table, serving me some. "Neapolitan," He answered my unspoken query about what kind of pasta it was.

"Thank you for the meal," I took a bite. "Mmm, it's really good!"

"Thanks," Shu smiled at me before digging into his own pasta. "But don't think you can change the subject that easily."

I already knew I couldn't and was thinking of an answer to his question. Finding no plausible lies, I decided to just tell him the truth.

"My mom is at home. She's amazing and her pancakes are to die for. As for my dad, he was an entertainer."

"Was?" Shu asked as he took another bite of pasta.

I finished chewing my mouthful before answering. "Where I come from, instead of Beyblade, we do Duel Monsters. It's a card game where two people verse and play. They have contraptions on their arms called Duel Disks that can turn their cards into holograms with mass, and they duel on an Action Field, which is also a holographic field with mass so you can feel all your surroundings. My dad specialized in Action Duels, where while you played the card game, you could run around the field collecting Action Cards to help you out. It was really fun, and he was an Entertainment Duelist, so his Duels would make everyone watching, even the opponent, smile." I smiled at the memory of watching his duels live. How he pulled himself out from a pinch with such splendor that it drew the eyes of all the viewers...it was still ingrained in my memory.

Shu must have noticed my little moment of nostalgia, for he smiled with me. "So, what next?"

My face darkened when I recalled the next events. "Well, he was challenged to a Duel with the reigning champion, Strong Ishijima. But the night of the Duel, he didn't show up. He disappeared, just like that," I snapped my fingers. Shu was a bit shocked at hearing this, but that was only evident by watching his eyes. I continued, looking down at my pasta as I spoke.

"I never saw him again after that day. He was branded a coward by everyone, even his most devoted followers. And since I was his son, I got the worst of it. They all started picking on me, beating me up because I was weak; because I was the son of a 'coward' who ran away from a Duel." I gritted my teeth, waves of emotion suddenly overwhelming me. "But he didn't run away, I'm sure of that. He's going to come back. Everyone, even my mom, lost hope of his return, but if I did, then I'd be a failure of a son. I only realized this recently when I discovered the joy of making people smile. So I'm going to continue on his legacy as an Entertainer and show the world that my dad didn't run away from the battle!" I looked up at Shu, whose eyes were wide with surprise, and...fear?

What did he have to be scared about?

"You're eyes…" His voice shook slightly as he gestured towards my eyes. I

blinked, confused, before realizing that my eyes were burning with heat. I looked at my hand to see small waves of black energy rolling off my palm. "What the…"

Then, suddenly they were gone, and my eyes were relieved of the heat. I was hit with a sudden wave of tiredness and I had to fight to keep my eyes open. My pasta was only half done, however.

What is going on with me?

Shu noticed, and gave a light laugh, but it was a bit high-pitched. I knew he was still a bit shook after witnessing what had just happened to me, even though I didn't know exactly what he saw. He suggested I go to bed and I happily agreed, dragging myself to the guest bedroom. I think he said something about spare clothes, but I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you think is going on with Yuya? It won't be brought up for a bit, so feel free to leave your predictions!


	3. Yuzu and Xhaka

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuya, Shu, Xhaka, and Yuzu meet up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (The first part is in Yuzu's POV)

"Uh...hi?"

I waved nervously at the boys in the dojo. They had all stopped Blading and were staring at me with a puzzled expression like I was the first girl they'd ever seen. But there were no girls training there anyway, so I guess that would be understandable.

One of the people straightened from his launching position and looked at me suspiciously. He had a blonde mohawk and was wearing a green training jacket over a white T-shirt. His pants were the same style as his shirt. The boy then looked at the huge guy standing next to me. "Xhaka, what's the meaning of this?"

The guy next to me, Xhaka, gave out a hearty laugh. I had found out that he really liked to laugh whenever something unusual happened. He gestured towards me as he spoke. "Yugo, everyone, meet Yuzu Hiragi. She will be staying with us for a few days."

_Yugo? That name seems familiar...didn't Yuya mention a Yugo to me once?_

_This must be a different Yugo. After all, I landed on a mountain when I was competing in the Junior Youth Championship with Yuya. Then we were sucked into a crack in the sky and everything changed. So this is probably not the Yugo Yuya mentioned._

"Quite the lovely young lady indeed…" I held back a squeal as I jumped back, turning behind me to see another boy. He had long, teal hair tied in a ponytail. His bangs hid part of his face and an eye. He wore a long, indigo hoodie with a white shirt underneath, like Yugo, and navy-blue sweatpants. He also had on navy blue, fingerless gloves.

"Y-You don't just sneak up on people like that!" I shouted at him, only making him smirk.

"They call me the Shadow Walker for a reason," He explained vaguely as if that statement answered all the questions in the universe. "Anyway, I'm Ukyo Ibuki. The mohawk guy there, Yugo Nansui, is Xhaka's right-hand man."

"Damn right I am," Yugo growled threateningly. "What business do you have with Xhaka, miss?"

"Uh…" I stepped back in surprise, but Xhaka just placed a hand on my shoulder. It was...oddly comforting. He probably had this effect on everyone he met.

"I found her being threatened by a rogue Blader. She didn't even know what Beyblade was but she had a Bey, so the guy was trying to force her to battle. Lucky I was there; I chased him off. This gal doesn't have a home, so for now, she's gonna stay right here." Xhaka grinned.

Yugo cocked his head. "You don't Blade, but you have a Bey?"

"Yeah, it was in my pocket," I brought out the Bey, not mentioning how it had replaced my Deck. It was beautiful: four light-pink petals making the outer edges, red rose patterns in the center. A small baton went through the middle, and in the center, there was a circle with the letter M in it. "Its name is Melodious Mozarta."

Don't ask me how I knew its name; it was just instinct. I don't know if Mozarta is her real name, but when I say her name, the Bey twinkles almost comfortingly. It was really weird. What's more, my Ace Monster back home was called Mozarta the Melodious Maestro!

The boys seemed interested in it. Yugo was able to point out that it was a defense type. He said that its disc was called Yell and the driver was called Needle. Apparently he had never seen it before, which said a lot since he was a 'Bey expert.'

After that introduction, Xhaka organized for lunch. I must say, his cooking rivals even Yuya's mother's, and her pancakes are to _die for._ Funny story, once Yuya won a duel because while he was losing, his mom sent him a stuffed pancake which was so delicious that he got the energy to win the Duel!

As I ate the amazing lunch Xhaka prepared, my mind drifted to other places. For one, I wondered about Yuya. I was his friend from when we were really young. I'll never forget the first day I met him; he was all bruised and battered. A boy two grades above him had stolen his pendulum that he always wore around his neck, and every time he would try to get it, he would be punched in the face or somewhere else. I managed to get the pendulum back using my trusty fan (I keep a huge fan with me at all times in case I need to slap some sense into some idiots), and when I gave it back to him, he broke down crying. I didn't know who his dad was back then, but once I found out, I sympathized with him more. The pendulum was one of the last reminders he owned of his father.

Yuya, contrary to what you might believe after hearing about that little episode, is one of the strongest people I know. He always stays firm when it comes to his beliefs, and he has learned how to stand up to those people who looked down on him. He's grown so much, sometimes it's like I'm being left behind.

It's not like I mind though.

"Something on your mind?" Yugo's question snapped me back to reality.

"I was just thinking of one of my friends, that's all," I replied, taking another bite of the meat.

Xhaka laughed again. "Is that so? What's the person like?"

"He's an idiot," I said immediately, causing everyone to laugh. I chuckled along as well, then I kept going. "He is reckless and can be suicidal, but he's still really tough. He recently was able to finally be himself after putting up a fake image of himself, so I really admire him for that."

I was going to say more, but a phone started ringing. Xhaka laughed sheepishly after seeing the caller ID. He got up and walked a few feet away, picking up the call. I watched him curiously as he chatted with the person calling him.

Then suddenly, his face contorted to one of shock. He glanced at me for a split second, but I didn't miss it. He said a few more words, cut the call and headed over to me.

"Sorry about this, Yuzu," He said apologetically. "But it seems that your visit here will be cut short a bit."

* * *

"Is this how you do it?"

Shu nodded in affirmation. I tried pulling the ripcord and launching Odd-Eyes into the stadium, but I failed miserably again, Odd-Eyes flying away. I sighed as I ran to pick up the Bey.

"You were unstable," Shu informed me as I came back to the stadium. "Place your weight on the balls of your feet. Don't worry about an overly complicated launch just yet; focus on getting the basics down for now."

"Got it," I nodded and got into launching position yet again. It was Saturday; I had arrived in this dimension on a Friday. Monday would be my first day of school, so I had to know at least some of the basics for when I joined the Bey Club. I didn't want to make a complete fool of myself.

This time I focused my weight where Shu told me I should and launched with all my might. Odd-Eyes definitely spun much faster and was much more stable than last time, but it didn't spin for long and rested in the middle of the stadium.

Shu smiled encouragingly. "That was a lot better. You're getting the hang of this."

I grinned back at him. "Thanks a lot!"

I got in the launching position again, determined to make a strong launch. _3...2...1…_

"YO SHU!"

That loud shout startled me and I pulled back in surprise, somehow keeping my balance. Shu had turned around to look behind him. He was equally startled, but once he registered who it was, he just sighed in annoyance.

The guy was _HUGE._

Like, he could give Gongenzaka a run for his money!

He wore a pretty-tight black top exposing his stomach, which was ripped. He wore a coat over that and beige trousers. His fiery-red hair was a mess but it looked pretty cool at the same time.

And beside him…

" _Yuzu?_ "

Yuzu, who stood beside him, was equally surprised. "Yuya...Yuya!" She suddenly started running towards us. I ran towards her and met her halfway from the sidewalk to the Stadium and caught her in a hug, which she happily reciprocated. We were laughing in happiness; we were so relieved to find a familiar face in this dimension.

I pulled away from the hug and inspected her face. A few scratches, but no major injuries. "You alright?"

"I'm fine, you?"

"Never better."

"Yeah, right." We chuckled as the huge guy from before and Shu joined us.

"Long time no see, Xhaka," Shu greeted the huge guy with a smile.

The guy, Xhaka, just laughed. "The feeling is mutual, Shu. Ah," He suddenly turned to me. "I never introduced myself! The name's Xhakuenji Kaiza, but you can call me Xhaka for short."

"Nice to meet you, I'm Yuya Sakaki." I accepted the hand that Xhaka extended.

Shu turned to Yuzu. "You probably don't know me," At this, he shot me a glance. "I'm Shu Kurenai."

"Cool, I'm Yuzu Hiragi." Shu nodded her head.

"So, now that we're all acquainted, why did you call us here Shu?" Xhaka looked at the albino, his happy expression being exchanged for a serious one.

Shu sighed, then started speaking. "I'm pretty sure we all know there's something strange going on. Yuya didn't know what Beyblade was when we met, and that is nearly impossible when living in this age. And he told me of a game called Duel Monsters that was basically the Beyblade of his hometown, yet I looked it up and it does not exist."

Yuzu's face was a bit pale. "It doesn't exist? So does that mean Strong Ishijima and Yusho Sakaki don't exist either?"

"It's possible," I answered for her, not feeling happy about the idea. At Xhaka's questioning eyes, I explained, "They were two great players of the game in our hometown. Yusho Sakaki was my father."

Shu continued. "Valt found Yuya sleeping on the sidewalk, and Yuya said that he was a nomad. I'm not buying it, but if you won't tell us why you were there, then you must have a reason. I trust you that much." I sighed, but a small knot of guilt was still in my stomach for lying to Shu and Valt.

Yuzu spoke up again. "I don't see any reason in hiding how we got here; you guys already figured out most of it anyway."

"Also, I don't understand it much myself." I sighed. "But anyway, we were sucked into a black hole."

A few beats of silence.

" _What?_ "

"Well, I mean, it was more like a crack in the sky…" Yuzu mused.

"No way!" I argued back. "It was definitely a black hole!"

"Alright fine, a black hole in a crack in the sky!"

"Yeah, that seems about right."

"Uhh…" Shu's eyes were wide in confusion. "Are you sure that's what happened?"

"Yes!" Yuzu and I said almost simultaneously.

Xhaka seemed shocked as well, but then he just laughed. "That's cool! So, you guys are trying to find out how exactly that happened?"

"Yeah, that seems like a reasonable goal," Yuzu answered. "If we know how we got in, we can figure out how to go home!"

"But where do we start?" I pondered while looking at the sky. "It's not like we have any leads or anything…"

"And it's not like we can let everybody know about your predicament," Shu thought aloud, to which we all agreed. He then turned to me. "What about that time you collapsed at Valt's house? You said it had something to do with your Bey-"

"YOU WHAT!?" Yuzu whirled around to face me. "And you conveniently forgot to tell me!?"

"Well, I wasn't given a chance to tell you-AAH!" Yuzu had suddenly pulled out her fan and started whacking me really hard with it as I ran away. "Stop, please!"

"As if! I told you to take care of yourself didn't I?" She shouted as she whacked me yet again, causing me to yelp. Shu and Xhaka were just laughing from where they stood.

Why me?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shu and Xhaka are skeptical, but that's to be expected. How do you think the crack in the sky was formed?


	4. The Transfer Student

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another student transfers to Beigoma with Yuya.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was hard to write because I was going through severe writer's block, so it's not as eventful as the other chapters. Be warned.

_Remember, life is like a pendulum._

_Ha, loser!_

_It will always swing back your way._

_Are you seriously that weak?_

_Always face everything with a smile._

_He's just the son of a coward._

_If you keep looking down you won't move forward._

_Like father, like son._

I woke up, sweating and gasping for air. Once I was sure I wasn't hyperventilating, I laid back down on the bed. I was sleeping in Shu's guest room. Yuzu was staying with Xhaka because that was the safest place for her. She'd be coming to Beigoma though, so we could try to figure out the mess we were in together.

I checked my phone, which was way too bright for my still sleep-ridden eyes, and was startled when I saw the time. It was only two in the morning! I threw the phone onto the dresser beside the bed and plopped down on the mattress, letting my thoughts consume me once again.

I thought that I stopped having nightmares. Yet, this time, in the nightmare, the voice speaking wasn't my dad's; it was that of a familiar yet unknown voice. The voices of the bullies stayed the same though.

I faintly realized that my throat was extremely dry and I was really thirsty. I sluggishly got up from the bed again and trudged to the kitchen, where I poured myself a big glass of water which I chugged down. The cool water was like heaven to my dry, scratched throat. I was disappointed when I finished the glass, though I knew that drinking too much water would lead to problems later.

"Yuya? What are you doing up so early?"

I froze as I heard the familiar voice a bit hoarse from sleep. "It's like two in the morning," Shu said as he yawned.

"Uh, hehe, you see, I...couldn't sleep?" It came out as more of a question than an answer. I turned to Shu, who was rubbing his eyes in tiredness.

Yet, when I said my sentence, Shu instantly became alert. "You should have told me earlier! Come here," He beckoned for me to follow him as he went to my room. Putting down the glass, I followed Shu to find him fiddling with his phone near the table. Once he was satisfied, he set it down, and a few seconds later, a harmonious melody emanated from the phone. It was simple yet relaxing, and I could feel half the tension leave my body during the first ten seconds.

Shu smiled at me. "My mom used to play this for me when I couldn't sleep, so I thought I'd share it with you. It's on loop by the way."

I yawned out a thanks and fell on the bed again, relaxing and closing my eyes. I heard Shu chuckle and leave the room, and a few seconds later, the angelic melody lulled me to sleep. And this time I wasn't plagued by dreams at all.

* * *

"Alright class, we have a new student. Come in," The sensei nodded at me and I entered the classroom. I saw Shu smile at me encouragingly and Valt's eyes widen in excitement as I strolled to the blackboard and wrote my name on it.

I turned to face the class. "I'm Yuya Sakaki, I hope we can have a great year!" I bowed down as everyone clapped for me.

The teacher nodded in approval. "Very well. You may address me as Nozaki-sensei." She shook my hand. "Sakaki-san, you may sit next to Kurenai-san, over there. Kurenai-san, please raise your hand." Shu held up his hand as I made my way to the empty desk beside him. Valt was in front of Shu, so he shot me a blinding grin, which I returned. What I hadn't counted on was there being an empty desk on the other side of me. Were we getting another new student today?

The teacher confirmed my suspicions with her next announcement. "Yuya is not the only new addition to our class joining us today." She gestured to the door, where a girl was standing that I had not noticed before.

The only word I could use to describe her is _creepy._

She had messy black hair with pink highlights. Her bangs were long and wavy, framing her face a bit messily. The rest of the hair was held up in a messy bun. Her skin was pale and unmarked except for a heart tattoo under her right eye. She wore a pink T-Shirt with a blue circus-like skirt and black boots.

But the most unnerving thing about her was her _eyes._

One was pitch-black, sucking in light and not letting any escape, like a black hole. The other was blood-red; even redder than my eyes or Shu's. Those heterochromatic eyes pierced everyone with a glare, effectively shutting everyone up, when suddenly all the menace disappeared. She smiled at us brightly and then turned to write her name on the board. What was interesting was that her name was written using Katakana, the alphabet used for writing foreign-borrowed words. Most names were written in Kanji, the standard alphabet.

She twirled around once she finished writing and beamed at us, though for some reason, I couldn't detect anything but ice in that smile. "Hey everyone! My name's Olympia and I'll be joining you guys today! Let's have a lot of fun together!" She spoke in a honeyed voice, yet I knew by instinct that it was completely and utterly fake. However, the rest of the class was fooled and they cheered for her as she took her seat next to me.

Once she was seated and her belongings were organized, she turned to me and shot me with a smile. "I guess we're neighbors. Nice to meet you!" She said, yet her eyes spoke a different message. Her eyes told me to _look out for your life, Sakaki._

I gulped and nodded anyway. _This is going to be a long year._

"Hey, guys!" Valt suddenly appeared in front of my and Olympia's desks as soon as we were dismissed for lunch. "Do you like Beyblade?" He continued yelling at the top of his voice, not giving us a chance to speak. "Can you guys join the Beyblade Club? Please? PLEASE-"

"Valt shut up," Shu lazily commanded, effectively shutting up said midget. "Anyway, I know Yuya is going to join the Beyblade club. What about you, Olympia-san?

"Hmm…" She seemed to ponder for a few seconds. "I don't mind it, I guess. Sure, I'll join!"

"AWESOME!" Valt jumped up in joy and ran out of the classroom, shouting something about how he was going to be at the rooftop. I just chuckled in amusement as I got up. Shu offered to take us to where the Bey Club was practicing, so Olympia and I followed the albino up to the roof.

I was about to walk through the door to the roof when a hand pulled me back. I turned in surprise to see Olympia glaring at me. "You'd better watch your step, Sakaki," She hissed quietly, and then she abruptly let go of me and walked into the roof where the Bey Club was walking, all signs of her vile demeanor gone.

I gulped and stepped into the sunlight, making a mental note to talk to Shu about this later.

The first thing I saw was Valt battling another person. There was a person reffing the battle and another sitting on a bench. Shu was with Olympia, watching the battle. I joined them as soon as Valt's Bey burst.

"Aw, man!" Valt cried out, picking up the pieces of his Bey.

The other guy, who was the owner of the orange Bey, just laughed as he took his still-spinning Bey from the center of the stadium. "That's payback for the District tournament!"

"I still beat you a lot though! I'm the better Blader!"

"No, you're not!"

"Yes I am!"

"Uh, guys?" The ref (who looked very emo) called out to the two bickering children (Yes, they are children because though I am the same age as them, I am technically older I guess.) "We have two new members, and they're right behind you."

"Oh yeah!" Valt's mood changed in a flash as he spun and looked at us. "I'm Valt!"

"The name's Rantaro, but everyone calls me Kumicho!" Valt's opponent grinned.

"Daina," The edgelord/ref/Blader said while lazily waving his hand.

The person on the bench had two puppets on his hand; one looked like a blue cat while the other was a brown dog. The blue puppet spoke suddenly. "His name's Kensuke, I'm Keru, and the other puppet is Besu."

Next, the brown dog spoke. "Let's get along well together!"

All the while, Kensuke's mouth never moved. He was a very good ventriloquist. Seeing that brought a smile to my face; my dad was good at ventriloquism too, being an entertainer. "Nice to meet you guys; I'm Yuya!" I bowed slightly as I introduced myself. "I'm still new to Beyblade, so I hope I'll be able to improve!" Everyone smiled at me approvingly.

Olympia was next. "Nice you meet you guys! I'm Olympia, and I Blade sometimes in my free time. I probably won't be that serious, but I hope we can be great friends!" She smiled, showing her teeth, and everyone returned her greeting.

Did they...not see her eyes?

I can't imagine Valt being subtle when he's trying to hide something he doesn't like, but he conversed with Olympia like her eyes did not scream murder threats.

Shu noticed my confusion and came over as Daina and Kensuke started a battle. "You okay? You seem really weirded out by her," He glanced at Olympia and Valt, though I knew exactly which person Shu was talking about.

"What do you notice about her eyes?" I countered his question with one of my own.

Shu looked a bit taken aback with my question, but he answered anyway. "They are dark pink. Why?" He asked after seeing my expression when he gave his answer.

I was shocked, but it confirmed my suspicions. "To me, one of them is black and the other is red." Shu's eyes widened. "Any idea what's going on?"

Shu slowly shook his head. "Nope, not a clue. Yuzu's coming tomorrow, maybe she'll know something." He looked like he wanted to say more, but just then, Valt shouted out a challenge to Shu. Said albino sighed and shot me an apologetic look as he went to join the blueberry midget.

I made my way to the bench, where Kensuke was sitting. I smiled tentatively at the boy, who blushed and smiled back. His smile was really small, however, and his eyes showed clearly that he was uncomfortable. I tried to make some conversation. "You're puppets are really cute!"

"Who're you calling cute, mister!?" Keru bristled.

Besu sighed. "He doesn't mean that. Thanks for the compliment!"

I smiled at the puppets. "No problem!" The puppets helped me remember the times when my dad would hold puppet shows for the little kids at my school. They were always so fun and he would make the stories really come alive.

Besu spoke again. "You really like puppets like us, right? I can tell."

"Well, yeah! We're the best!" Keru boasted proudly.

I chuckled and leaned back against the bench, relaxing. "Yeah, they bring back a lot of memories."

Keru hummed thoughtfully, and Kensuke's attention diverted to Valt asking Daina for a battle. I took a deep breath and pulled my goggles over my eyes, using the free time to think a bit. However, I couldn't get Olympia's ice-cold, hateful glare out of my mind.

* * *

"Sir! O-Juno has infiltrated the school."

"Very well. Is her identity sufficiently hidden?"

"As far as we know, only one person can see her true form, sir."

"That certainly is troubling. Name?"

"Sakaki Yuya, sir."

"Ha! That is impossible."

"B-but, sir, it's what the records say, sir."

"Well, this is certainly an interesting development. Yuya Sakaki...hehe..hahaHAHAHA!"

"Um...si-"

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE? GET OUT!"

"Y-YES SIR!"

"Yuya Sakaki, you'd better wash your neck and wait! HahahaHAHAHAHAHA!"

_Elsewhere…_

"Yuya, why's your neck so sweaty?"

"Shu? I didn't see you there. I honestly don't know; I'll go wash it."

"Alright, dinner will be ready in a few!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Olympia has made her debut! She's an OC that the people who read the original will remember. For those who haven't, what do you think about her? What do you think her plans are for the Bey Club?


	5. Math is Illogical

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuya proves a teacher wrong in the most embarrassing way

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was inspired by a scene is Yara Meijer's fanfiction Accidental Reverse (if you watch Inazuma Eleven Go you should check it out; she's an amazing author). She mad more chapters uploaded on fanfiction.net than Ao3, so I think that the scene I'm talking about is on ff.net. I forgot.

_It is thanks to all of you that I was able to accomplish this much! Now, who is my next challenger?_

_Aw, are you too scared? I only gave you a scratch!_

_My name is **** and I am the Dueling champion!_

_What's my name?_

_****! ****! ****!_

_Glowing eyes. My eyes, but they are void of emotion, stare at me, at the pendulum in front of me, swinging, swinging-_

_What's my name?_

"STOP!"

I found myself gasping for air on my bed yet _again._ I took a deep breath to relax my breathing and then realized that Shu was looking at me in concern from the foot of my bed, carrying a bundle of clothes. "Is this normal for you?"

"Uh…" I laugh a bit, trying to lighten the situation. "Sort of…?"

Shu just stared at me for a few seconds, and then sighed. "Oh well. If you're up to it you can talk to me, but I won't force you. Get up; we'll be late for school."

_Huh? That was...unexpected..._

I did as he told and got dressed, but all the while I kept wondering about what he said. Taking note of the time (6:30), I went to the dining room to see Shu laying out breakfast. He made sandwiches and scrambled eggs. I dug into the breakfast (Shu was an amazing cook and everyone who says otherwise will have to fight me) and decided to make a move. "What did you mean by what you said earlier?"

"Huh?" Shu had to think for a moment before realizing what I was talking about. "Oh, that. I meant that since everyone has secrets it would not be my place to force it out of you." He continued eating.

"You say it like you have experience." At Shu's shocked stare, I realized that I had been thinking aloud. I felt my face catch on fire. "No, I didn't mean it like that, I'm sorry-"

"It's fine," Shu chuckled calmly, though I didn't miss the way his hand tensed on his spoon. Suddenly, he sat up a bit straighter. "Hey, what if we trade secrets?" At my confused grunt, he elaborated. "Like, I tell you my secret and you tell me about your nightmare."

I thought about it for a few seconds. I didn't want Shu to worry about me since he already had a lot on his plate, but I wasn't doing a good job anyway. Besides, it would be a good way to learn about each other. So I gave my consent. "You go first."

"Sure." The albino took a deep breath, running a hand through his hair. "The thing is… I'm not...supposed to be Blading right now…"

I may or may not have spit out all the milk in my mouth back into my glass. (I was really lucky it didn't go onto Shu or his food.) "B-but you've been Blading so much these past few days!" I suddenly drew in a gasp, realizing something. "Valt would never let you Blade if he knew."

"Exactly," Shu sighed, finishing his sandwich and starting his scrambled eggs. "So don't tell him."

"Okay then." I drank all of my milk, careful not to spit it out. "If you don't mind me asking…"

"You want to know why?" Shu asked with a soft smile, to which I nodded sheepishly. He leaned back, eating his eggs. "Well, I was practicing at the park, the same one we met Xhaka and Yuzu at. Valt's siblings, Tokonatsu and Nika, saw me and ran over. When they did, I was in the middle of launching, and if I had launched I would hit Nika, so I forced my hand to stop. But by doing that I sprained my shoulder badly," He chuckled when he saw me wince, knowing first hand how painful a sprained shoulder was. "It's healing now, but I'm still technically not supposed to Blade. I have a doctor's appointment after school today to get it checked out."

"Oh," I said, finishing my scrambled eggs. But I didn't get up yet. "Now I have to tell you about my nightmares." Shu nodded, finishing his breakfast too but not getting up. I sighed and started telling Shu about it. "Ever since I came here, I've been having nightmares. I used to have them when I was younger, but these are different. I'm in a dark place with no floor or sky; I'm just floating. And then I hear things. I hear my old bullies scorning me and my father's encouraging words blurring into one mess until I don't know what to think anymore. But the one last night was different. Instead of my bullies and father's voices, I heard a different one. It was really familiar, but I couldn't place my finger on where I had heard it before. He was talking to a crowd, which was chanting his name. But every time they said his name, all I heard was static. And at the end, I felt really scared, like the world was ending and the unknown person was coming for me."

Shu took a few seconds to take in all the information. "Well," He started. "I don't know what the nightmare means at all, but if you need to talk to someone, I'm always here. Even if it's in the middle of the night."

I shot Shu a relieved grin. "Thanks, that means a lot."

"No problem," Shu returned the smile, then he got up. "Come on, we're going to be late."

"Right."

"Oh yeah, before we leave," Shu turned back after he put his dishes in the sink. "Do _not_ anger Nozaki-sensei. You will regret it for the rest of your life."

I shuddered and nodded.

* * *

"Alright class, I know this is very surprising, but we have yet _another_ addition to the class!" The class erupted in whispers as I smiled to myself in excitement. School had been uneventful so far, except for Olympia shooting me death glares. I was wondering why only I could see her horrific eyes. They were honestly _really_ unnerving.

Anyway, As soon as the teacher shushed the class, Yuzu walked in, wearing her usual outfit (which was the school uniform from our time, though it didn't really look like a school uniform. She wrote her name on the board in Kanji and bowed to the class. "My name is Yuzu Hiiragi, and I hope we have a great year together!" Everyone clapped as Nozaki-sensei directed her to her seat, which was unluckily all the way across the classroom from me.

Once her stuff was organized, she glanced at me. I waved softly so the teacher wouldn't notice.

Then she saw Olympia and she did a double-take.

Olympia was looking at the board, where the teacher was explaining something, so she didn't see the horrified look Yuzu was giving her. She then looked around the classroom, to see nobody else phased. She shot me a questioning look, to which I shrugged.

Repeating lessons from years ago was boring, so I decided to jot down some things I was noticing about our situation. I got the textbook open to where we were supposed to be doing work, finished it all faster than everyone else (I may be considered dumb in my time, but this was still easy to me) and started jotting down stuff.

I wrote down how Yuzu and I were the only ones to notice Olympia's eyes. How we came to this dimension from a black hole. How our decks were replaced by Beyblades. How our heights and mass changed. How Dueling doesn't exist and instead Beyblade does. And lastly, how I kept getting nightmares. But once I finished, I couldn't see any connection, even though I knew that there was one. I just had a hunch that there was something missing; I didn't have much information.

How would I get more information?

I was going to continue, but I saw the teacher heading my way. I quickly hid the notebook, being an expert at doing such since I did stuff like this all the time, and pretended to go over my work.

As expected, once Nozaki-sensei came my way, she took my notebook and flipped through it, a look of surprise on her face when she couldn't find what she wanted. She then looked at me, and I suddenly knew why Shu was telling me to be careful with her. Her eyes shot daggers at me. "What were you writing just now, Sakaki-san?"

I kept a poker face on, having done this way too many times. "Math."

"Nice try. Where is the writing?"

I shrugged, aware that the class was looking at me and Shu was shooting me warning glares. "Honestly, sensei, I was just doing math. You're just assuming things. Now if you excuse me, I have math to do," I took my notebook back and started going over the problems again, not missing how Nozaki-sensei's eyes widened and color filled her cheeks.

"You dare talk back to me, Sakaki?"

Her voice was quiet and was like venom, and it sent a collective shudder throughout the class. Apparently, as Shu told me later, this was the most dangerous time to disobey Nozaki-sensei.

But I've honestly dealt with much worse.

So, I replied cheerfully, "Yes, I believe that's how a conversation works, sensei," I added the 'sensei' a second too late, making it seem like an add-on.

Now, if Nozaki-sensei was mad before, now she was absolutely _fuming_.

"Detention, Sakaki! For a month!" She shouted, but she took a step back when she saw me lift up my head lazily.

"That is completely illogical, sensei, because I haven't done anything wrong. In fact, you are the one trying to accuse me of something I never even did," I calmly stated.

Nozaki-sensei sucked in a sharp breath and snapped. "I am being _completely_ logical, o naive Sakaki! As logical as the math you are 'doing' right now!"

Finally, I allowed myself to relax and get rid of my poker face, smirking. After all, Nozaki-sensei just fell into my trap.

I leaned back in my chair and kept smirking, to the astonishment of literally everybody in the room (except Olympia, she was still shooting me death glares (but I tried to ignore that (keyword: tried) and kept going) and Yuzu (only because Yuzu had seen me do this before)). "So, if I can prove that math is not always logical, will you take away my detention?"

"Yes!" Nozaki-sensei, too caught up in her emotions, jumped into the dare way too fast, not noticing how confident I looked.

Too bad for her.

I walked up the board, noticing how Shu mouthed to me _what in the name of Beyblade are you doing?_ , Valt's eyes were just wide, and Yuzu was face-palming. I took the chalk and started writing.

_x = 0.99999…_

_x = 0.33333… + 0.66666…_

_x = ⅓ + ⅔_

_x = 3/3_

_x = 1_

_x = 0.9999… = 1_

_0.9999… = 1_

Once I was done, I turned back to the class and the teacher and bowed. "And that, kids, is how math makes absolutely no sense."

A beat of silence.

Then, as if a volcano had erupted, uproarious laughter.

Everyone was in fits of laughter. Valt was outright banging on his desk and even the normally cool and composed Shu couldn't bite back a giggle. Yuzu was just staring at me like _that was the dorkiest move you've ever made but it was hilarious._

Even I couldn't stifle my laugh.

The teacher's face was comparable to a tomato as she screamed over the laughter. "TO THE PRINCIPAL'S OFFICE! NOW!"

I shrugged and followed her out of the classroom as Shu tried unsuccessfully to restore order.

* * *

I made it to the rooftop just as Valt dragged Kensuke to the stadium. Shu noticed me and, after a moment of carefully hidden shock, waved me over. "Hey, shouldn't you be in detention?"

"Detention?" Kumicho came over, the mention of the word making Valt and Kensuke look over before they started their battle. Even the emotionless Daina looked interested. "Already? Man, Yuya, I didn't know you were that good!"

"One, I wasn't trying to get detention, two, I got out of detention, and three, where are Yuzu and Olympia?" I asked, knowing that Yuzu would have joined the Beyblade Club and Olympia should have been here before me.

Unless she tried to follow me.

But that was unlikely; I just went to the principal's office.

"Olympia dragged Yuzu somewhere," Keru answered.

"That girl, Olympia, is messed up," Daina mentioned, making everyone look at him. He just shrugged. "Valt nearly burned his hand trying to catch Valkyrie the other day, and all she did was smile like a mental patient," Daina explained. I knew that Valkyrie referred to Valt's Bey, having seen it yesterday.

"Anyway, you said you got out of detention? How!?" Valt asked with a childlike curiosity (I say childlike because Valt looked like he was seven.)

"Wait, backtrack for a sec, how did you even _get_ detention?" Kumicho asked.

Shu chuckled. "Well, it's a funny story…"

So Shu and Valt took turns recounting the epic tale, with me adding comments as necessary. By the end, both Kumicho and Daina were laughing hard. I laughed along too, since in all honestly that trick never got old. Then Kumicho asked me how I got out of detention, and I related the story to them.

So I was taken to the principal's office, and he was actually pretty surprised to see me. The principal was an old but smart man I had decided to respect. What I did was I put up a completely innocent front and said that the teacher had been looking through my stuff without permission, which was a violation of the fourth amendment of the constitution of America. I knew that we were in Japan, but the government of America was respectable, so it was a valid argument in my opinion. Then I told the principal about how the teacher had agreed to my terms, and how after I had won she had dragged me here. In the end, the principal let me off scot-free.

Right as I finished the story, Yuzu burst through the door and ran to us, panting. Her hair was a mess and she had a few cuts on her arms. We all stopped kaughe=ing and stared at her in shock as he caught her breath. Then she looked up, and I'll tell you, I can count how many times Yuzu looked this scared on one hand and still have fingers left over. In between ragged breaths, she said, "Who in the world let that _creep_ into the Bey Club?"

"Uh, why?" Valt was genuinely confused, while I had pieced the pieces together and gasped.

"She did this to you, right?" I said quietly, to which Shu just looked at me in surprise.

"Anyway, are you okay?" Valt, also known as the idiotic midget who has the attention span of a goldfish.

"How can I be okay when Olympia just tried to _kill me!?_ " Yuzu finally burst out, shutting anyone who wanted to speak up.

I just gritted my teeth in anger.

_That bastard…_

* * *

" _Has O-Juno done what she was told?"_

" _Yes, sir!"_

" _Good, good. Any other news?"_

" _Sir, the new student can see O-Juno's identity."_

" _Name?"_

" _Yuzu Hiiragi."_

" _This week keeps getting better. First Yuya, and now Yuzu? I wonder how long it takes them to connect the pieces of the puzzle…"_

" _Sir, are you going to laugh evilly?"_

" _How dare you! Out!"_

" _Y-Yes, sir!"_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you didn't understand the math, just comment and I'll explain it.
> 
> Anyway...
> 
> Oooh, Olympia has made her first move, and it certainly won't be her last! What do you think she'll do next?


	6. Emotional Confrontations and a Disappearance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuya confronts Yuzu and Valt confronts Yuya

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This entire chapter is from Yuzu's POV

_I was showing the members of the Bey Club my Bey, Melodious Mozarta. They agreed that it wasn't a normal Bey by any means, and I agreed to battle Valt to see what my Bey could do. We both got into launching positions and would have started the battle if not for Olympia._

" _Yuzu! I want to show you something! Could you come here for a second?"_

_Now, I didn't trust Olympia one bit. Her eyes were filled with malice, but to the others, she looked like a normal twelve-year-old. If I refused, Valt would make me anyway. Even though I've only known him for less than a day, he was really easy to read._

_After all, Yuya used to act just like Valt._

_Before his dad disappeared._

_But that's off-topic._

_I accepted Olympia's invitation and followed her out of the rooftop and down the stairs. She led me to the girl's bathroom and beckoned for me to enter. I entered, though I was confused. Why would Olympia want to show me the girl's bathroom?_

_As soon as I entered, she shoved me against the wall and pressed a knife to my neck. It was then that I knew that my assumptions were correct; Olympia was absolutely_ _**psychotic** _ _._

_Needless to say, I was terrified._

" _There's no use screaming; nobody will hear you," She whispered chillingly, and I got the feeling that she was telling the truth. Plus, she was holding a_ knife _to my neck, and she probably wouldn't hesitate to use it._

_So I relaxed and put up a confident front. "What do you want from me?"_

_Olympia grinned, showing her fanged teeth. "Where are the Zarc incarnates?"_

" _Zarc...incarnates?" I looked at her in confusion. "What are those?"_

" _Don't play dumb with me," Olympia hissed. "You are one of the Bracelet Bearers, so of course you would know where they are. Now spill."_

" _I swear, you've got the wrong person!" I shouted at her, making her even more furious._

" _You have no idea what I can do," She murmured, putting her face dangerously close to mine so I could hear her. "I could take what you and your silly friends treasure the most and you probably wouldn't notice until it was too late."_

_Just then the door opened and a blushing girl rushed in, trying to go to a stall. But she didn't realize Olympia and I were here, so once she noticed, she froze in shock._

_I used Olympia's lapse in concentration to my advantage, knocking the knife out of her hand and kneeing her in the gut. Leaving her groaning, I ran out of the bathroom, making my way to the stairs._

_I heard Olympia behind me throwing something, and not even a second later I felt a burning pain in my arm. Two more spots of searing pain appeared on both my arms and then they stopped appearing once I was out of Olympia's sight. As I ran up the stairs, I spared a glance at my arms, then paled at what I saw._

_Knives._

_Three knives; one on my left, two on my right, the stabs staining my arms crimson The warm red liquid ran down to my fingers and dropped silently. Fighting the urge to throw up, I tore out the knives from my flesh, wincing at the spurts of blood that followed, and then I threw them down the stairwell. I was at the door to the rooftop by then and I burst them open, panting._

_You know the rest._

* * *

Shu was the first one to snap out of his shock, seating me at the bench and ordering Daina to grab the med kit. He examined the cuts while Daina was gone. Yuya sat next to me, and I was terrified at what I saw in his eyes.

_Terror. Pain. Anger. Confusion. Concern._

His hand was clenched into a fist, trembling with the effort of keeping his emotions concealed. I couldn't say I wasn't in the same state; I couldn't stop my hand from trembling if I wanted to. I mean, I was almost _killed._ For something I didn't even know about!

As Shu cleaned the wounds, I told my story to the members of the Bey Club. Everyone had gone scarily pale seeing the blood. Yuya placed his hand on mine comfortingly, just like how I used to do the same for him years ago. I shot him a grateful smile.

Olympia never came back to the Bey Club that day, and it was good that she didn't or everyone in the Bey Club would have gone crazy. Kensuke looked scared, Daina and Rantaro looked like they were going to murder someone at this rate, Shu was doing his best to stay calm, Yuya's current concern was whether I was alright, and Valt just looked outright betrayed. I felt bad for the kid; it's always hard to learn that not everyone can be trusted, and even harder when you learn the hard way.

We decided to call it a day and head home. Shu insisted that I come home with him and Yuya; he said he'd drop me at Xhaka's later and that I shouldn't be climbing mountains in my state. I agreed and we set off.

Yuya kept fussing over me as we walked. "Are you sure you're alright? Maybe you should go see a doctor-"

"Yuya, I'm _fine,_ " I stressed for what felt like the millionth time. "Shu said himself that the cuts aren't that deep and I don't need stitches. I'll be healed in a day or two."

Yuya still didn't look convinced, but he relented anyway. He looked like he was in so much pain I almost forgot that I was the one who was stabbed. I didn't even know why he was this depressed; I mean, it's fine to be sad, but this was on a different level. And he was so full of energy earlier too.

It was still pretty light outside when we arrived at Shu's house. He dropped us at his apartment and left, saying he had a doctor's appointment to get to. Yuya's eyes widened in understanding as he nodded and saw Shu off. Once he came back inside, he promptly plopped down on the couch. "What a day!"

I sat down on the sofa opposite Yuya and relaxed. Shu had a nice apartment; it was really white and plain, but it was clean and well-furnished. I'd be having dinner here and Yuya had already assured me that Shu's cooking was to die for.

My arms still stung a bit when I moved them, but it was nothing too major. Shu, on the other hand…

"Yuya, did something happen to Shu's shoulder?"

I saw the way Yuya tensed, then relaxed slightly. "It's not my place to tell, but…"

I knew I had guessed right from Yuya's reaction, so I quickly reassured him that I wouldn't tell anybody. He sighed in relief and then told me that the finals of the District tournament were the day-after-tomorrow and that Shu and Valt were competing. They wanted to have a real match without holding back, and Valt knowing about Shu's injury would only hinder that. I nodded in understanding; I understood the desire to play with everything in your heart and soul too well.

I looked around Shu's living room, noticing a first-aid-kit on a table. That reminded me about my own injuries; they had to be cleaned soon. The bandages were stained red and soon would be infected.

I gestured to the first aid kit and Yuya immediately jumped up and grabbed it.

"Does it hurt anywhere?" He sat down beside me and opened up the first aid kit, concern etched all over his face.

I shook my head. "No, I just thought I should change the bandages."

He nodded in affirmation and started taking off the bandages, though he looked really queasy. I couldn't blame him. In the end I offered to just take them off for him, since his fingers were trembling too much to even attempt to unravel the bandages. He had to look away; seeing my wounds probably brought him a lot of pain.

After I finished removing the bandages, I told Yuya to open his eyes. That was a big mistake; when he saw my arms, he went paler than I've ever seen him.

"Oh my god! Yuzu!" He couldn't take his eyes off the dried blood on my arms (which was the reason I wanted to change my bandages (the dried blood, not Yuya getting scared)).

Although, if I had to be honest...

"Come on, Yuya. They're not that bad."

Honestly, he was overreacting a lot. It's not like Olympia pulled a gun on me or anything.

But he seemed to think that Olympia did. "Not that bad? _Not that bad?"_

At that point, I just snapped. "Why are you worrying so much? You're not the one who got stabbed!"

Yuya threw out his hands as he spoke, a sign that he wasn't thinking clearly. "Exactly! You got stabbed multiple times!"

I knew that if the conversation continued, Yuya would most likely blow up. So I tried to divert the subject. "Technically I didn't get stabbed, she threw knives at my arms and they landed on their mark…"

Keep in mind that I'm not very good at diverting the subject.

As evident in Yuya's deadpan answer. "Yuzu that means you got stabbed."

But hey, I wasn't going to let Yuya dwell in his pit of misery anymore (which he shouldn't be in anyway) so I went along with it. Or at least I tried. "Technically-"

"And it's all my fault."

I momentarily forgot how to breathe.

So I was completely wrong the entire time. Yuya wasn't sad because I got hurt instead of him, Yuya was fricking _blaming himself_ for it.

"E-excuse me? Did you lose your remaining brain cells? How in the world is this your fault!?"

"I forgot to warn you about Olympia! She threatened me yesterday but I didn't realize that she would go through with her threats. If I just didn't fool around in class-"

"Yuya if you didn't show that teacher up you would be in detention. That would be a hundred times worse."

I knew Yuya was an idiot but was he _really_ that dense?

"Yeah, but still…" Now I felt a little bad for snapping at Yuya because he actually looked like a kicked puppy. He was even tearing up a little as he quickly reached for his goggles and pulled them over his eyes so I couldn't see the tears (it didn't work.)

"...I can't help it though…"

Those words were barely above a mumble, yet because of his close proximity I could hear them really clearly. And it honestly _hurt_ to know what he was really going through.

"Yuya, just start wrapping already," I hid my emotional moment with an order because we were so into our argument that Yuya had forgotten to wrap my wounds.

He shot me an apologetic look and a sheepish smile at the same time (how does a person do that?) and started wrapping my arms. I continued. "Anyway, this is always the problem with you. You care way too much about your friends. I'm surprised you aren't fawning over how Shu should just forfeit the finals yet."

Yuya's lips curled up slightly. "I don't know him yet, though it is taking up a lot of my self-restraint to not talk to him about it."

I let out a loose laugh. Yuya finished with my arms and tied up the bandages. Now that the dried blood was out of view, his complexion was starting to look more human than zombie.

The short moment of humor was short-lived since I wasn't planning on letting Yuya go so easily. He got up to leave, but I pulled him back down on the couch by his arm, making him nearly fall on me. He caught his balance like the stupid entertainer he was and looked at me questioningly.

I inhaled deeply and continued with what I wanted to say. "It's good to care about your friends, but...it can be a fatal weakness sometimes. You gotta learn to let your friends fend for themselves sometimes."

Yuya grimaced at that. "Yeah, but when I do, it hurts…"

Curse you, Yuya and your selfless nature. Honestly, he gets so caught up in helping others that he doesn't worry about himself. I tried my best to keep the slight annoyance out of my voice, though, and I replied to Yuya as calmly as I could. "That's why friends help each other. So they don't have to face that pain. But if one of them gets hurt and nothing could have been done, it's not fair to beat yourself up over it."

Yuya didn't respond at first, just looking at his sneakers and twiddling with his fingers. Eventually, he lifted his goggles and put them back on the top of his head (not before letting the accumulated tears drip out) and smiled at me.

But this smile wasn't like his other smiles.

No, this smile was much more relaxed and free of tension. This was the smile of the _real_ Yuya who I thought had gone into hiding when we came to this dimension. When he spoke, you could clearly hear a difference. He sounded so much happier now. "When you put it that way, it makes sense."

In all honesty, I was overjoyed.

I had only initiated this talk to get Yuya to confront his feelings and get rid of the facade he was putting up. He doesn't realize it, but when he's going through a hard time, he tends to put up a mask and keep telling everyone he's alright when he really isn't. All because he doesn't want people to worry about him.

But now that he saw how stupid he was being, he stopped.

I counted this as a small victory for yours truly, Yuzu Hiragi.

So I pumped my fist in determination. "Alright, so instead of being caught up in the past, let's face the future!"

Great.

Just great.

I had to pull the cheesiest line ever right after an emotional confrontation.

As I blushed furiously in embarrassment, Yuya just snickered.

"You got that from a manga, didn't you- OW!"

I swiftly brought out my fan and slapped him across the face with it.

* * *

Yuya and I were watching a children's' anime on Shu's television when said albino entered.

(The television was on the right of our sofa, so we turned it and were watching it together. It was a show called Pokemon and it was really weird.)

He (Shu) looked so exhausted and absolutely done with life that it was really hard to keep a straight face.

"Xhaka's coming in an hour," He groaned before crashing on the sofa opposite me and Yuya and burying his face in a pillow. I nodded in affirmation, but it didn't look like Shu saw me.

"Uh, you alright?" Yuya was the first to break the silence (we turned off the TV).

Shu just groaned something unintelligible in response. I grinned. "Having an existential crisis so early in life? Man, I pity you."

Yuya glanced at me in amusement, barely stifling his laughter.

Shu slowly sat up, and it was then that I got a good look at his eyes. They were bloodshot and tired. This was certainly unexpected for a visit to the doctor.

Shu threw his head back and took a few deep breaths. His hand traveled to his pocket and he gripped what I assumed was his Bey, Storm Spriggan. We lapsed into a comfortable silence for a few minutes before Shu finally enlightened us on what was going on in his kind.

"Valt found out about my injury."

Yuya's eyes widened in shock. "What- okay, how?"

"I don't know, he just suddenly burst into the room and saw my injured shoulder," Shu mumbled. "He walked me home but he would ask if I was 'really alright' and if it was 'okay for me to keep playing Beyblade' every freaking five seconds. That guy doesn't know when to just give _up,_ " He closed his eyes in despair, illustrating how so _done_ he was with his friend's concerned attitude.

"Man, I can relate to you on a spiritual level," I murmured, making Yuya glare at me and Shu to smile softly.

"Yuya did something happen?" At Yuya's confused hum, Shu elaborated. "You were so tense earlier, but now you're really relaxed."

"Oh, I just made him realize that he can't keep fawning over me like I'm a doll," I grinned ferally at Yuya, who gave me a smack on my head. Shu couldn't stifle his laughter, making Yuya glare murderously at him.

At that moment someone knocked on Shu's door.

I only had one thought in mind: Valt has come to murder Shu's soul more than he already has, and he doesn't even know it.

Shu seemed to be thinking the same thing, for he sighed exasperatedly. "Yuzu, please, whatever you did to Yuya, do it to Valt," He whispered so that Valt couldn't hear him. I chuckled in response and gave him a thumbs up.

He went to open the door and was greeted with a ridiculous sight. Keep in mind I don't use the word ridiculous a lot. Valt was carrying an _inhumane_ amount of bags of ice. And he tried to _grin_ at Shu, who just stood there dumbfounded staring at the midget trying not to crumple against the weight and the cold. "Hey, Shu! You said you'd be better with some ice, so I brought you lots!"

The way Shu slowly facepalmed only added icing to the cake. I couldn't help it; I started cackling in laughter.

Valt glanced past Shu, shouted a greeting to us and stumbled into the house. He made way to the kitchen and quickly dumped all the bags of ice on the ground with a sigh, trying to warm up his arms.

Yuya was not doing a much better job of keeping his poker face on.

We could see into the kitchen from the living room, so we didn't miss the way Shu smiled fondly at the midget. "Come on, Valt, don't you think this is a bit much?"

Valt just smiled blindingly. "If a little ice will make you get better soon, a lot will help you get better really fast!"

We all had to chuckle at his childlike logic and how he looked at us with an expression saying "What did I do?"

Shu insisted that Valt stay for dinner, and Valt initially refused. But once Shu mentioned Xhaka, Valt was hooked. Shu started getting the ingredients while Valt…

Just stood there.

Something was wrong.

"Hey, Shu…"

He called Shu really softly, a stark contrast from his earlier demeanor. Shu noticed this too and spared Valt a glance over his shoulder. "Something the matter?"

The blueberry midget responded a few moments later, and what he said knocked the air right out of my lungs.

"Can you forfeit the tournament match?"

We all just stared at Valt who was staring at his feet. Shu was the first to speak up. "Valt, what is the meaning of this?"

"I mean, you probably won't heal in time for the match, even with all the ice," Valt said, twiddling his fingers. "I don't want you to hurt yourself more than you already are."

Shu just sighed. "Valt, this is nothing. I'll be fine-"

"You always say that!" Valt suddenly burst out, lunging and grabbing the collar of Shu's shirt. Shu nearly fell back with Valt's weight, but he righted himself at the last minute. Valt was tearing up. "You always say you're alright, but you're not! You might never even get to PLAY AGAIN!" Now Valt was screaming.

I could pinpoint the exact moment when Shu snapped. "I said I'm _fine!_ "

Shu tried to push Valt away from him, and he succeeded, but right after he cried out in pain and backed away, holding his shoulder. Valt looked horrified and backed away on his own. Yuya nearly got up to stop them, but I held him back by his wrist. He got the message and sat back down.

They had to settle this by themselves. This was much more serious than a simple argument between friends; it was much worse, even if they both had each other's best interests in mind. Valt wanted Shu to be safe, and Shu wanted Valt to have a fair battle at the finals.

It looked like Valt wanted to say something more when the door suddenly burst open, a familiar tall redhead entering, a hand raising in a greeting. "Hey guys, whats up?"

From the absolute silence that engulfed the room, Xhaka immediately deduced that something was off. Shu slowly facepalmed as Valt, Yuya and I dissolved into laughter. Shu just groaned and Xhaka was very confused. "Okay, what did I miss?"

I stifled the rest of my laughter to answer Xhaka. "Valt and Shu were having a heart-to-heart."

Xhaka's eyes widened in understanding. "Ah, I see."

Shu removed his hand from his face. "Do you know how to _knock_?"

"Hey we're buds, aren't we? Why do I need to- oh," Xhaka trailed off, answering his own question for himself in his mind.

Yuya and I started laughing again.

It was just like a scene out of a TV show.

Valt shot one of his beaming smiles at Xhaka. "It's fine, no worries. Anyway, I didn't know you were coming over!"

Xhaka grinned back at Valt. "Same here! But anyway, it's awesome to see you after this long! The finals are tomorrow, aren't they?"

"That's what we were talking about just now, actually," Shu sighed. "Anyway, if you guys don't help, I'll not give you guys any pasta."

Valt screeched in horror as Yuya and I quickly stood up to help the albino. Shu kept Valt as far away from the kitchen as possible, saying that he'd get food regardless, but Valt wanted to help anyway. Xhaka questioned the many bags of ice on the floor, which made everyone start laughing again.

I was just happy that the tense atmosphere from earlier had disappeared.

Midway through cooking, Shu suddenly gasped. "I'm such an idiot; we're out of spices. They should have some in the pantry downstairs; I'll quickly go over."

Yuya shot him a thumbs up and Xhaka patted him on the back as he passed. Shu left with a warning to Valt to not burn anything while he was out.

We all finished our tasks and started talking to pass the time. But after a half-hour, Shu hadn't returned.

"Where is he? I'm hungry!" Valt whined.

'It shouldn't be taking him this long…" Xhaka looked worried.

Yuya turned to me. "Do you think anything happened to him?"

"I don't think so-" A memory flashed in my mind and my blood ran cold.

" _I could take what you and your silly friends treasure the most and you probably wouldn't notice until it was too late."_

"We have to get downstairs," I gasped, making everyone turn to me in surprise. My fright must have seeped into my voice. "If my suspicions are correct…"

I couldn't wait any longer and I dashed to the door, throwing it open and heading for the stairs. I heard the others' surprised shouts as they scrambled behind me, not caring who they woke up. I practically flew down the stairs until I ended up at the main lobby. I ran over to the receptionist, panting heavily. He took a step back; I must have looked crazy. One of my pigtails was pretty close to getting undone, which added to the 'crazy girl' effect.

"D-Did Shu Kurenai," I huffed. "Go to the pantry?"

"Mr. Kurenai? No, I believe not-" I didn't even let him finish his sentence, too scared of my suspicions coming true. I ran to the stairs again, seeing the others who had just arrived.

"He didn't go to the pantry," I informed them through ragged breaths. "Let's split up and look for them."

"Valt, you stay at the room," Yuya ordered the smaller midget. When Valt looked like he was about to protest, UYuya quickly explained further. "He might come back to the room and he'd be pretty worried if we weren't there. And Yuzu," He turned to me now. "Fix your hair, you look like a crazy fangirl."

I blushed and fixed my hair as Xhaka attempted a laugh, though it didn't hold the same joy in it as before. "Now, since we are all calm, let's resume our search."

We split up the floors and quickly went to search. No matter how much I wanted to tell myself I was calm, I knew otherwise. I was the farthest from calm I had been in a long time and I didn't even know Shu that well. Was it because he was so friendly? Or because of Olympia? Probably both? Thinking about what Olympia would do to Shu if she got her hands on him made me want to puke.

But however much we searched, Shu was nowhere to be seen.

He was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Where do you think Shu went? (Should be pretty obvious who took him.) The finals are tomorrow! What's going to happen?


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Valt VS Olympia

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't write Beyblade battles for the life of me whyyyyyyy

“Ladies and gentlemen!” The announcer screamed into the crowd of roaring fans. “Today is a momentous day for many of our bladers, because today is the finals of the DISTRICT TOURNAMENT!” If possible, the crowd cheered even louder.

The tension was high, but my mood was not.

We never did find Shu and now the finals were going to start without him. We tried to inform the police, but they wouldn’t listen to us. Apparently they had orders to not listen to anyone named Yuya Sakaki, Yuzu Hiiragi, and everyone else.

So nobody knew that Shu wouldn’t show up except for me, Yuzu, Xhaka, Valt, and the rest of the Bey Club.

The Bey Club had gone absolutely ballistic when we told them. I can’t describe it, but you can probably imagine it.

The morning of the finals, we all ran around town looking for Shu. I went to the doctor’s, Valt, to the park, and everyone else went wherever else Shu frequented. But in the end our efforts were fruitless.

Valt had very mixed feelings. On one hand, Shu didn’t have to destroy his shoulder. On the other hand, Shu was missing and we all suspected Olympia, so Shu was definitely in danger.

As for me, if Shu came out of this looking like Yuzu did yesterday, I might go ballistic myself. Even though I didn’t know him for very long, he was my closest friend here aside from Yuzu, and I’ve already seen enough close friends get hurt.

Yuzu and Xhaka had just arrived. Apparently they had searched the mountain that Xhaka’s dojo was on as well, but had no results. Honestly, we weren’t surprised at this point since we all knew Olympia had something to do with this.

Those suspicions were confirmed at the finals.

“In the red corner, the wonderboy and dark horse of the tournament, VALT AOI!!!” Cheers went up as Valt entered the stadium, trying to keep up a smile even though he was probably the most affected out of all of us. His smile was wobbly and he was moving like a robot until he tripped on air and fell to the laughter of the audience. He quickly got up and ran to his position.

“And in the Blue Corner, member of the Supreme Four, it's our very own SHU KURENAI!” The door opened, but nothing happened.

Everyone was silent, waiting for the albino. I just clenched my fists in frustration, already knowing that nobody was going to come out. It would be a forfeit for Shu and Valt would be made the winner of the tournament.

Except, somebody did walk on the stage.

“I know I’m not quite what you expected,” The girl said while walking onto the stage, grinning wildly. She drank in Valt’s horrified expression before turning to the audience with a smile. “I’m Olympia, and I am fully authorized to take Shu Kurenai’s position today!”

She was wearing her usual facade, with her beaming smile and seemingly kind disposition. But only Yuzu and I could see the pools of hate dripping in her eyes.

The audience erupted into confusion as the commentator spluttered in surprise. Yuzu suddenly took my hand, a shocked expression on her face. Xhaka was confused while Rantaro’s mouth opened so wide that his lollipop fell out. The only indication of Daina’s unrest was the slight widening of his eyes, and Kensuke paled so much I nearly thought that he was dead. 

“Ohoho, wait Bladers, I’ve just received a letter from the WBBA!” The announcer shouted, voice-cracking on the last syllable. “It reads, and I quote, ‘We are very sorry for the inconvenience, however Shu Kurenai could not make it to the finals and wanted to give his chance to a fellow Blader. The Blader Olympia has every right to stand on the stage, so please inform the audience before the match.’ Well, a bit late for that I think, but anyway Bladers, get hyped because the finals between Valt Aoi and Olympia will start soon!”

“When did she…” I gasped. “Did she make Shu tell the WBBA that?”

“No way, but Shu’s the strongest person I know!” Xhaka protested.

“She must have threatened to hurt one of us,” Daina mused, all heads turning to him. “We already know that she has no qualms about doing so, and Shu would do just about anything for his friends.”

Yuzu sighed. “He’s just like you,” She directed that statement at me. “You both would probably even give up your lives for your friends.”

“That’s why I can relate to him so much,” I replied. “You really can’t blame him; I know that if any of you got hurt in front of me again and I could have stopped it, I would probably want to kill myself,” I directed the last statement at everyone else, who nodded in agreement.

Valt had paled considerably, trembling slightly. “W-Where’s Shu?” He asked shakily. The only people who could hear him were the front row of the audience. Everyone else must have chalked it up to him being surprised, but we knew the truth.

Olympia let a fraction of her craziness show in her sharpening grin. “And why should I tell you?”

Valt slammed a hand at his chest, gesturing at himself. “Because I’m his friend! I’m worried about him! That’s completely normal! What did you do to him!?”

“Nothing...yet,” Olympia licked her lips as Valt’s eyes widened. She suddenly whipped out a Bey. “But I can guarantee his safety if you just battle me.”

The Bey was round with small abrasions along the sides. Four protruding spikes met at the center to form a four-pointed star. Below that a mountain was engraved into the Bey. “Meet Over Olympus.”

Valt’s eyes narrowed in determination. “If it will save Shu…” He pulled out his Bey as well. “Then Victory Valkyrie will battle you and win!”

Then something strange happened. As their fierce glares clashed, something akin to an aura started emanating from both of them. Valt was surrounded in blue while Olympia was surrounded in white. And I could see what looked like spirits behind them; A masked knight atop an armored horse which I assumed to be Valkyrie, and what looked like a Titan right out of Greek Mythology with pillars emanating from his four arms and legs and a doorway in his chest. He had no eyes. I assumed that was Olympus.

I looked around me; nobody seemed to see the auras except me. Maybe Yuzu could see them, but she was busy looking at her bracelet which was glowing strangely. That was odd; Yuzu had had the bracelet for as long as I could remember and it never just randomly  _ glowed. _

That brought my attention to the pendulum necklace around my neck; the only thing I have left of my father aside from my goggles.

It was glowing with the same light as Yuzu’s bracelet.

Maybe the auras were connected to the light from our accessories? As I thought about it, I remembered a time when I had seen a similar aura. It was when I had met Yuto and Yugo. They had those same auras and my pendulum was glowing then too.

Were those auras connected? What  _ are _ the auras?

I didn’t have time to ponder further because the referee interrupted my train of thought. “Ready..set!”

The battle was about to begin.

“3...2...1...Go SHOOT!”

Valkyrie immediately shot for the edge of the stadium and swerved towards the middle, where Olympus was waiting. “Go, Valkyrie! Rush Shoot!”

Valkyrie struck Olympus multiple times, yet the attacks didn’t faze it. Every time they made contact, a metallic clang resounded. It was so unlike when Valkyrie had battled the other Beys that I couldn’t help but be worried.

Valt was even more fired up than usual, but Olympus didn’t budge. Rather, it seemed to be...getting stronger?   
  
Soon Valkyrie landed a solid hit on Olympus and it finally moved from the center...but it spun the opposite way from Valt.

I saw Valt freeze for a second and stare in awe as Olympus, instead of following Valkyrie’s path like a normal Bey, instead met Valkyrie head on. And knocked it clean out of the stadium in one hit.

Valkyrie flew so far that it nearly made its way off the stage.

“Ring-Out Finish! Olympia gets one point!”

The crowd started cheering, excited by this new strong opponent. Valt was just shocked. Even Shu, with all of his skill, couldn’t throw Valkyrie that far. My brain had short-circuited as well. This was the first time I saw a Bey that did that. It was a defense type but it was so heavy (it had a  _ lot _ of metal) that it could just as easily substitute for an attack type.

Yuzu squeezed my shoulder in reassurance. “Don’t worry, he’ll be fine. He’s Valt, after all.”

“What  _ was _ that?” Rantaro breathed out.

Daina’s brow was furrowed in confusion. “I saw that Olympus was spinning the opposite direction from Valkyrie. That might be why she has such an advantage. But is that even allowed?”

“Apparently,” Keru deadpanned.

I gritted my teeth in frustration. Sure, Valt was strong, but I really didn’t see any chance of him winning this. And losing could have drastic consequences for a certain albino.

Valt had taken his Bey and set it up again. He grinned at Olympia. “That was awesome! But this time I’m bringing the heat, so you’d better watch out!”

“Eh?” Olympia smiled ferally, tilting her head back. “How much heat can a brat like you bring? Show me if this fire of yours can climb a mountain as tall as Olympus.”

They got into launching position as the audience waited with bated breath. My knuckles were go9ing white from gripping the railing. Everyone else was equally worried. Valt, though, had a calm, determined look on his face. I had learned that it was in these times that he did his best.

“3...2...1...GO SHOOT!”

I gasped; Valt’s wrist had flicked upwards right before launching. Wouldn’t that throw off the launch? No, but Valt seemed like he knew what he was doing…

What happened next was a real shocker.

While Olympus traveled to the center of the stadium, Valkyrie, the faster one, swirled underneath it and  _ pushed it up. _

Valkyrie kept circling higher and higher, pushing Olympia higher and higher towards the edge of the ring. Even though Olympia was turning the other way, Valkyrie managed to get in a solid hit to push it up. Its speed was giving it a huge edge. Valt’s aura flared as he yelled something about a Flash Launch, which must have been the name of the new move he had pulled.

Seriously, why didn’t he tell us he  _ had _ something like that!?

Olympia looked surprised as Valkyrie managed to push Olympus just over the boundary before it burst.

“Ring-Out Finish! Valt gets one-point!”

The crowd positively  _ exploded. _

I was shouting along with them while Yuzu was jumping in excitement and Rantaro was waving his fan around wildly. Kensuke was grinning, but Daina looked a little troubled. When I asked him about it, he said that Valt had only won because his Bey burst a second after Olympus exited the ring. It was really close, and there was really no telling what would happen next.

But Valt had still gotten a point, so I told him to stay positive and not ruin the mood.

Because in that moment, we believed once again that Valt had a chance. Valt could win this.  _ Valt could save Shu. _

Olympia picked up her Bey, shadows hiding her eyes. Valt was cheering and talking to Valkyrie like the Beyblade fanboy he was. 

It looked to be annoying Olympia, but she just threw her head back and  _ laughed. _

The stadium went quiet as she laughed like a crazy person. She ran a hand through her hair as her laughing died down, her eyes closed. “You really think you can win?”

“Yeah! Valkyrie and I are the best!” Valt held out his blue Beyblade partner as Valkyrie glinted. “Together we’re gonna beat you and save Shu!”

Olympia was quiet for a second before opening her eyes, grinning wildly. “But you see, I wasn’t battling you seriously this whole time, and you still barely beat me!”

At that moment, Olympia emitted the darkest aura I had ever seen. Her white aura was suddenly stained black and red. And my eyes started  _ burning. _

I gasped through my teeth and blinked my eyes over and over again, trying to stop the pain, but it wouldn’t relent. Rather, the pain was spreading throughout my entire head. Yuzu looked at me in concern as I brought up my hand to my hair and  _ pulled. _ It did little to ease the pain, but at least I could crack an eye open to see what was going on now.

Everyone else was too focused on Olympia to notice my small breakdown, which I was thankful for.

The ref called for their attention as they got into their battle positions.

“Ready...set!”

“3...2...1...Go SHOOT!”

Valkyrie had swooped underneath again, but this time, Olympia hit Valkyrie straight on.

The metallic clang that resounded was so loud that the people who had begun chattering again were quieted rather rudely.

And the noise did little for my headache.

The two Beys clashed, the sound of grinding metal filling the air. Sparks flew and the wind was strong enough to nearly push back Valt, though Olympia was just standing there languidly.

Then, in a particularly loud  _ clang, _ Olympus zapped past and hit the wall with all of its momentum, actually managing to  _ dent the outer ring and get stuck there. _

And Valkyrie?

Valkyrie was lying in pieces behind Olympus.

“Burst Finish! Olympia gets two points and wins the math 3-1!”

Honestly, I didn’t hear anything past the world ‘Burst.’

Suddenly static filled my head, the sounds distorting into an unintelligible cacophony. My vision was tinged red and the pain in my head grew so intense that I couldn’t help but let out a quiet groan.

I barely registered myself slipping to my knees. I could kinda hear everyone shouting in alarmed voices, but it was like I was underwater. Suddenly I couldn’t breathe, see, or hear. So I closed my eyes and let myself succumb to the pain; there was nothing I could do to resist anyway, however much I wanted to resist.

Through the black overtaking me, I could make out one image which played in my head over and over.

Two glowing, hawk-like eyes, just like the one in my dream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What happened to Yuya? Why did he faint? What's going to happen to Shu? 
> 
> Comments and kudos are VERY appreciated!  
> \- Idol


End file.
